Tags of various types are widely used in the manufacture, shipping and merchandising of numerous types of articles. One tag of particular interest is the commonly known shipping tag that usually comprises a rectangular tag of thin cardboard that is secured to an article by means of a cord or wire. The cord passes through a hole or eyelet formed in one end of the tag. Such tags are employed for a variety of uses in shipping, parts identification, pricing, repair instructions, baggage identification and the like. Retailers, wholesalers, parts houses, auto dealers, real estate offices, furniture stores, appliance shops, beverage suppliers and manufacturers use untold numbers of such tags in every day operations.
While the cost of a single tag is so low as to appear inconsequential, the high volume usage of the tags makes cost an important consideration. Because of the high volume, numerous potential suppliers of the tag are attracted by the apparent opportunity for a profitable business enterprise. Tag producers are thus highly competitive, and a seemingly minor design feature that reduces the manufacturing cost of the printed tag can prove to be of great importance in a competitive business climate of this nature.
The production of tags typically involves a sequence of operations wherein the tags are first cut to size and shape, a hole is punched in one end of each tag and the desired information or format is then printed on the tag. When the hole is to be reinforced, an additional layer of cardboard is secured to the areas immediately surrounding the hole on one or both sides of the tag. This is preferably done prior to the printing operation. The reinforcing cardboard used for reinforcing the hole in the tag may be secured to the card forming the tag by any of various types of adhesives, or by means of metal eyelets that are crimped in place through the hole and over the edges of the surrounding card forming the tag.
Because of the relatively small size of the individual tags, the tags are commonly fabricated in strips or in gangs of four or eight, held together along their perforated edges. Such a sheet or strip of tags may be cut and fabricated as a unit, so that the total number of required machine strokes to produce the tags is significantly reduced, and the production costs accordingly.
In the interest of achieving a short turn around time in the filling of orders for printed tags, it is important that the printing operation be held up until the last step in the production of the tags. Very often the customer requires a new supply of tags on very short notice. If the tag supplier has a stock of unprinted but otherwise completed tags on hand, and if the printing operation can be completed very quickly, an important competitive advantage can be realized over other suppliers who may not be able to react so quickly.
Most tag suppliers experience difficulties in providing a service of this kind. A rapid printing operation calls for printing by means of an offset printer which employs rapid photographic operations in place of the much slower type-setting procedures involved with other types of printers. The typical tag construction, however, does not lend itself to offset printing, because the reinforcing "patch" around the punched hole in the tag is often too thick to permit a smooth and rapid printing operation. The thick patch produces vibrations in the printer rollers and causes the printing blanket to wear out prematurely. Furthermore, the prior art gang arrangements of prior art tags are not properly designed to accommodate the functional requirements of the offset printer. Because the prior art gang arrangements do not provide an unobstructed gripping area at the leading edge of the sheet or gang of tags, the machine cannot be fed automatically, and must be fed by hand, one sheet at a time. For these reasons, a printing operation that could otherwise be completed in a matter of minutes might require several hours for completion.
Therefore, in order to satisfy the need for quick turn around time and low production costs for shipping tags, an improved tag design and more particularly, an improved gang arrangement of tags is required to permit the rapid and economical printing thereof on an offset printer.